Inevitable
by literate.girl.x
Summary: This could be possibly the last thing Jess Mariano ever expected to do. Who's the new girl in his life, and what is Rory not telling him?
1. Chapter 1

_Sumary: This could be possibly the last thing Jess Mariano ever expected to do. Who's the new girl in his life, and what is Rory not telling him?_

_A/N: Hey everyone, I hope you will all enjoy the first chapter of Inevitable. Sorry if it's not all that interesting as of yet, but basically I just needed to introduce the plot. I packed a lot of love into this small lovely little chapter, so please return it by reviewing. That's all for now, enjoy._

* * *

Chapter One

* * *

He's not sure when he had stopped thinking about her. _Really_ thinking about her that is, because the truth is that despite where he is in his life, she is always in the back of his mind; a glint of blue in the distance, the whiff of coffee in the air when he leaves his apartment in the mornings. But it had been over four years since she had left his life for good, and somewhere along the line, he had stopped thinking about her as a possibility, and started moving on with his life.

He's done well he thinks. He's in a relationship now, has been for over six months – or was it seven - and he's working part-time at the Truncheon's new branch in New York, a few blocks away from his apartment building. He's kept in contact with Liz and his father, and talks to Luke every other week.

The only thing Jess isn't happy about is the one thing that is most important to him; writing. Because the truth is that his first book was written out of anguish; what he couldn't have, and hoped he would gain by writing his first novel. And now that he had finally let go, he felt as if he had let go of his muse too. In all honesty he was terrified; terrified that he would be writing as just him. He wasn't sure if he could do it without her.

"Jess, this is amazing! Really!"

Jess smirked at the appraisal, tapping his fingers absently against the arm of his chair. "Are you saying that as my editor, or the woman that I'm sleeping with?"

The woman across from him tried to hide a blush, a smile pulling at the edges of her lips. "Both".

"Well, it's not Hemmingway or anything."

"No offence, Jess, but there will never be another Hemmingway," he felt a pang, and he's not sure why, "but this comes close. The only thing the publishers wanted me to talk to you about was the deadline. Are you sure you can make it?"

"Yeah, it's no big deal."

"We're behind on schedule. You know it's not much trouble for me to extend the-"

"I said I'll be fine," Jess snapped, "I just haven't been able to write much lately, you know that."

There was a small pause, and Jess knew he had hurt her feelings. "Right…" she mumbled softly.

"Paige…"

"Umm…" she interrupted, shuffling through some papers on her desk distractedly, biting her lip. "So you mentioned on one of our first meetings that Charlie was going to be thrown into the system after his drunken father disappears, right?" she asked, not looking him in the eye.

Jess let his unspoken apology float away, instead giving her a small nod.

"If you're stuck for writing at the moment, you might find it useful to do some research, you know, tail some service workers, and visit some of the local orphanages. Since you said your protagonist was going to get thrown around a lot by the system, you're going to need to know a great deal about its inner workings."

"Thanks, Paige," he said with sincerity. He wasn't sure what had caused his small outburst before, but he was more than glad to have her as his editor. He wouldn't have gotten half as far as he had now without her guidance.

She looked up hesitantly, "So I'll see you at seven?"

x x x x

Jess thought he must really want this book of his to work out; either that or he was now officially insane. The last thing he wanted to do right now was to walk through this door, and he had driven all the way from New York to New Hampshire to do so. He glanced once more at the sign above the door, 'St. Mary's Orphanage', and with one last crazy thought, he entered.

Jess looked around the small and dreary room, pulling out his notebook as if to write notes – what the hell on, he was still to find out. He reached around his pockets for a pen, only to realise he hadn't brought one; as much as he may not like to admit, some things about him just hadn't changed. Scanning the room once more, his eyes fell upon a pencil that was lying unused on the single desk occupying the room, but noticing the old, tired looking women sitting beside it scribbling away on various papers, he decided his memory was as good as any.

"Excuse me, is there anything I can help you with?" He heard the lady call from her desk. He was turned away, looking at a painting of the very building – if you could call it that – that he was in now. He pretended not to hear her, and instead mulled over how ridiculous it was to have a painting of what you could step just two mitres outside to see.

"Excuse me," he heard again; louder this time, from beside him, "Is there something I could help you with?"

He turned to face her and shrugged, "Nope."

"Visiting hours are at nine, and are for certified volunteers only. So unless there is something I can help you with, I'm afraid you will have to leave the premises," she said dully.

"Is this for sale?" He asked sarcastically, pointing at the painting.

Her face turned cold, but then her eyes flickered to the notepad in his hand and her face lit up instantly.

"You're a reporter. At last. This way, please."

x x x x

In all the years Jess had lived, he had never seen so many kids in such a small residence. There were limited toys, all of which had to be shared, and some of the kids were practically wearing rags.

"We're so glad that they've finally sent someone to cover the story," The lady said from beside him, "We're supposed to only have resources for thirty-five, but right now there are over forty kids we're caring for. It's getting quite out of hand, and of course there has been a drop in the number of couples adopting. Write that down," She added.

Jess rolled his eyes at the fact that this lady felt she could order him around, but copied down what she had just said anyway.

"Hopefully if people become aware of our situation through your story there may be more couples wishing to adopt."

Jess was barely listening, as for some reason his eyes had been drawn to a young girl with auburn-brown hair sitting in the corner with a tattered copy of 'Oliver Twist'. As if she could feel his eyes upon her, she looked up, and her round, bright blue eyes met with his.

x x x x

"You _what?_"

"Do you want me to repeat myself, or was that just for dramatic effect?" Jess said with a hint of frustration, glancing over at the pair of bright blue eyes following his every pace. Fifulls of his uncle's laughter now sounded out of Jess' phone.

"This is a joke," Luke stated, "It has to be a joke. You, Jess Mariano..." Luke could barely finish over his laughter. "That has to be the funniest thing I've heard all day, and let me tell you, I've seen Kirk today."

Jess sighed feeling almost humiliated by his uncle's histaria, "This isn't a joke, I'm serious. I went to a court and everything."

There was silence on the other end, and Jess almost feared his uncle's reaction. "You're serious," he stated in awe, "You actually adopted a kid."

Jess didn't fail to notice his uncle's lack of reaction, which meant only one thing.

"A kid, Jess! This is a _kid _we're talking about here!" And there it was.

"Really? I had no idea," Jess retorted sarcastically.

"A kid is hard work, believe me, I would know! I mean, you out of all people… a kid Jess! A kid!"

"Okay, I get the picture already!"

"This is the stupidest thing you have ever done! Which, by the way, is a _very_ long list! I mean, what the heck were you thinking, adopting a _kid_?"

Jess wiped his hand across his face, letting out a deep sigh as he glanced once more at the little girl sitting with her legs dangling off his couch, her wide eyes still watching his every move. "Look, I don't know what I was thinking, okay? I just… I dunno'… did it. She had nobody in that place."

"And you think that by adopting her you're giving her a better life? Jess, a kid is hard work-"

"Geez, I heard you the first time! And don't you think I know that?" Jess yelled, feeling increasingly aggravated by his uncle's lectures.

"Look, I have to go," he muttered, "I guess I'll catch up with you at a better time."

"Jess, I know I said all those things… but the kid… if you need any help… I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm here."

"Thanks, but I think I've got it," Jess replied coldly, hanging up the phone. He let out a few deep breaths before turning back to his living room. "So, Ellie," he said, addressing the small girl, "You hungry?"

She stared at him for a moment, unmoving. And then, as if terrified, she bounded off the couch and into his room, closing the door behind her. Jess sighed anxiously, running a hand through his hair.

"What the hell am I doing?"


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews, here is another chapter for you. I had fun writing it so I hope you all like it. Don't forget to review :)._

_Disclaimer: Nope, do not own, moving on._

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Chapter Two

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Jess sat up, trying to loosen the painful cramp in his neck. It had been a while since he had slept on his own couch. Slowly, he made his way down the small hallway, and upon opening his door, he saw Ellie curled up in a ball on his bed. A sudden wave of protectivness he had never felt before washed over him as he walked up to the bed, and he knelt down beside her and covered her with the blanket, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She stirred slightly, and he froze, silent, for fear that he had woken her. But he let out a breath as she brang her thumb to her mouth and began quietly breathing again. It had shocked him at first, how much of a resemblance Ellie had shared with her; he had honestly thought he had lost his mind. There were subtle differences here and there, but she had her hair, her porcelain skin, and her eyes were almost a carbon copy. He thinks that's what had drawn him to her in the first place. But all he knows, is that when he first laid eyes on her, he had the overwhelming urge to keep her safe.

x x x x

_"So how're things with the Mrs?" Jess smirked, knowing it was now officially impossible for Luke to deny what Jess had known all along._

_"Lorelai... uh."_

_"Oh c'mon, Uncle Luke! You would tell your best man if you were in the doghouse, wouldn't you?" Jess said mock-seriously, laughing at the mental image he had of Luke whimpering away from a vicious Lorelai._

_"Well actually, it's about Rory," Luke said cautiously, knowing the tenderness the subject held with his nephew, "She hasn't come home since the wedding, and Lorelai's barely talked to her. I guess they havn't go past the dropping out of Yale thing... Well... Lorelai's been..."_

_"Don't worry, I can imagine," Jess said, hoping to end the conversation as soon as possible; memories from the wedding, and in particular, the maid of honor, flooding back to him._

_"Sorry, I know this is-"_

_"No big deal," Jess lied._

x x x x

Jess barely heard the sound of the small pattering feet behind him over the noise of the fry pan. He turned around just in time to see Ellie with her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide with excitement.

"You're awake," he stated with a smile, "Are you hungry? I made breakfast."

She pulled her hands away from her mouth, clapping them in front of her. "Ellie loves... PANCAKES!" she shouted excitedly, running over to the small table and jumping up onto the seat.

Jess hid a smile, as he tipped the last of the pancakes onto a plate, and turned off the stove.

"Do you like chocolate sauce?" he asked as he slid one of the plates in front of her.

"Mhm," she nodded, as she began to grab the pancakes with her hands.

"Wait, wait," Jess said, pulling Ellie's hands away from the pancakes gently. "You have to use your knife and fork, see?" Jess held up his knife and fork in example, but she simply stared at him vacantly. And it only just occurred to Jess that she was only three years old, and that she probably didn't know how to cut up her food.

"I'll show you," Jess said nervously, pulling her plate over to him and cutting the pancakes up into small pieces. He slid the plate back in front of her and she grabbed her fork, beaming up at him.

"JESSIE," she said cheerfully, "cut my pancakes for me!"

"Not Jessie, Jess," he stated clearly, but she was already singing over the top of him.

"Jessie... Jessie... Jessie," as she shoved each square into her mouth.

"I guess that will do for now," he sighed to himself, concluding that at least she was in a better mood than she was the night before.

x x x x

_"Jess, its Paige. Look, I'm starting to get worried, I haven't heard from you in over a week! Where are you? I went to your apartment and you weren't there. What's going on, Jess? Call me as soon as you get this."_

x x x x

"What's with the kid? Babysitting does not become you, man."

"Look, I need you to look after her. I didn't have anywhere else to bring her," Jess explained to his co-worker and assistant, Jacob.

Jess cringed at the fact that he had to bring Ellie to work with him, after all, there wouldn't be much to keep her entertained at Truncheon, and he's pretty sure he would rather anyone than Jacob take care of her, but the truth was that those daycare places kind of freaked him out.

"Can you read my book to me?" Ellie called out to Jacob, holding her copy of 'Oliver Twist' out in front of her.

"Whoa, 'Oliver Twist'! How old _are_ you, kid?"

"Ellie is three," She answered happily.

"Rightcheous," he said in awe, following her to the couch and opening the book.

x x x x

"I'm sorry you had to come to work with me today," Jess told Ellie as they walked down the sidewalk hand in hand; Ellie taking twice as many steps to keep up with him.

"It's okay! I like working, it's fun!"

Jess chuckled, growing more and more fond of the little girl. He glanced at the book she had under her arm, noticing it was the only real possession she had.

"Where did you get the book?"

"The lady gave it to me."

"The lady...?"

"Who comes to visit me. She's pretty. And she reads to me."

Ellie stopped suddenly, her eyes watering. Jess froze, the people bustling past him on the busy sidewalk calling out words of protest as they knocked into him. But he hadn't the slightest clue on what to do.

"Jessie?"

"Y-yeah?" he stuttered.

"When is the lady going to visit Ellie again?" she mumbled, the tears threatening to fall. Jess was in shock, guessing that Ellie was talking about one of the volunteers that came to visit, or someone of that accord. He had never thought that by taking her home with him, taking her away from the orphanage, she would miss things about it - the people that were there and that came to see her.

"Ellie has Jessie now... but... but... I still miss my friends."

Jess knelt down beside her, wiping away the tear that had just fallen. And not knowing what to say, he pulled her into his arms. He had never noticed before just how tiny and fragile she was, and again, the same feeling of needing to protect her flowed through him, and he held her tightly against him.

"Do you know what, Ellie?" Jess said after a while, holding her at arms length.

She responded with only a sniffle.

"If you let me, I can be your best friend."

She looked up at him with her bright blue eyes, a few stray tears still falling to her cheeks. Then she threw her arms around his neck, clinging to the back of his jacket. He picked her up and hugged her again for a moment.

"Hey," he began cheerfully, "You know what I like after a hard day at work?"

She shook her head in silence.

"Ice-cream."

"... Ellie... likes ice-cream a lot."

x x x x

"Hey!" Ellie yelled in protest, "I want to press the button this time!"

Jess chuckled, lifting her up so that she could reach the fourth floor button, and then placed her on her feet again. Immediately, she grabbed his hand, and Jess had to hide his grin.

"Hey, wait," he said as they exited the lift. He stopped, kneeling down beside her and wiping the ice-cream off her face. "Maybe you should try to get it in your mouth next time, huh?"

"Huh, huh, huh, huh, huh," She imitated as they began to walk again. Jess smirked at her, shaking his head.

"Jess?"

Paige was standing at his door, eyes wide at the scene before her.

"Jess," She repeated, trying her best to keep her voice steady, "Who is this?"

Ellie seemed to understand the seriousness of the situation straight away, and stood silently next to Jess. Jess sighed, running a nervous hand through his hair, "She's not mine. I mean... not exactly."

"Jess, would you please tell me what's going on?" Paige said in a fragile voice. "Where have you been for a week?"

"Do you think we could go inside?" Jess asked awkwardly, motioning to the wide open hallway. She nodded quietly in response. He unlocked the door, the silence burning into his ears, and left it open for Ellie and Paige to follow him inside. Ellie walked straight to the couch, and Paige followed after her, grabbing Jess by the sleeve and pulling him straight into his bedroom, shutting the door behind them.

She stared at him in silence for a moment, and then, finally, she chose to speak. "Why do you have a kid that's not yours?" She asked in an eye of the storm calmness.

Jess ruffled his hair again, trying to choose his words carefully, "I, ah... I went to do the research for my book. I drove all the way to New Hampshire. I sorta figured the orphanages there would be less... well, the types I wanted in my book."

"Jess-"

"I just... I saw her there and," he sighed running a hand through his hair for the third time, "Well I guess you know the rest."

"You... adopted her," she breathed out, sitting on the edge of his bed, and smoothing down her long brown hair, her dark eyes then snapping up to him. "So when you said you weren't ready for the next step, you couldn't even imagine having a family... you really meant-"

"Look, this wasn't expected okay!" Jess snapped, raising his voice as he began to lose his cool.

"But you still _adopted _her!" Paige began to yell as well, "I mean, it must have been _expected _when you signed the forms! I give you credit enough to not be that dim-witted. And what's worse, is that I only found out now! I'm your _girlfriend_ Jess, I should have known before this happened! I should have known where you were for a week, instead of being here worried sick about you!"

She turned away from him, her shoulders beginning to shake, "I should have been there with you."

Jess felt his stomach plummet, and stepped up behind her, resting his hand on her shoulder. "Paige..."

She knocked his hand away, turning to face him. "No!" she cried, her voice risen again, "I'm sick of it, Jess! I'm sick of it! You're never there, not really! You never let me in, or when you do it's only for a moment. And then as soon as I mention something about Hemingway, or why you say you can never get into poetry, yet carry that stupid 'Howl' book around with you everywhere you go, you shut me out completely. And when I asked about that girl in the pictures of your uncle's wedding, you didn't speak to me for a week, Jess! I'm not stupid; I can connect the dots-"

"Paige, its not-"

"What I think? To be honest I don't really care anymore, Jess. I think we both know you don't love me... not really."

Jess looked at her with apologetic eyes.

"You know, she looks just like the girl in the picture. I can already tell that you adore her... both of them." She smiled at him sadly. "Bye, Jess."

And with that she turned away, leaving Jess with so many new emotions fighting inside of him. He had never stopped thinking about her. He thought he had, but he hadn't really. Not at all.

"Jess...!" He heard Paige call worriedly from his living room. His eyes shot up immediately, and he ran outside towards the voice. He didn't have to ask her what was wrong, he looked into her eyes and then around the empty room, and then at the open door.

"You didn't..."

"Jess, I'm so sorry-"

"What were you thinking?!" If Jess' voice was loud before, it was nothing compared to what it was now. "What were you fucking thinking leaving the door open with Ellie here!"

He turned on his heel, racing out into the hall.

"Jess, wait!" she called, chasing behind him.

He turned to face her, his eyes furious, "I have to find her! She could be anywhere! And unless you're going to help me do so, don't follow me!"

She nodded silently, and they both headed for the stairs.

"I'll go this way," Paige said frantically, motioning to one side once they were out on the streets. Jess nodded once and headed in the other direction.

He couldn't even describe what he was feeling at that moment. Pure terror and panic, magnified a thousand times, might begin to describe it. Every car that flew past him was a car that had hit her onto the pavement. Every stranger that rushed past was a stranger that was hiding her from him.

"Excuse me!" He yelled desperately to a passer-by, "Have you seen a little girl?"

"Hey, watch it, pal!" the man replied, brushing off his business suit and continuing down the path.

"Excuse me! Hey!" He tapped the shoulder of a young woman with earphones, "Have you seen a girl-"

"Hey," she smiled coyly. He sighed, frustrated, pushing her aside. "Hey!" she protested angrily, "What's your problem?!"

Jess looked around himself, taking in every inch of his surroundings. He pulled his hands through his hair, feeling his head spinning, and that he might be sick at any moment. But then he heard it... Ellie. His head snapped towards the soul of the sound, and he saw Ellie twenty or so meters away. A man with slicked back, long black hair was walking away with her, his hand wrapped tightly around her arm. Jess pushed past a group of people, knocking them over in the process, as he sprinted for Ellie.

"Ellie!" He called to the back of her head, "ELLIE!!"

She turned to see him, and tried to run over to him, but the middle-aged man still had her by the arm, and was pulling her away faster now.

"HEY!!" Jess called frantically. He tried to catch up, but a group of busy New Yorkers bumped past him, almost knocking him to the ground. Ellie's cries for Jess were getting further and further away as the man was pulling her faster. Jess was knocked to his feet again by a girl with a large amount of shopping bags, talking on her cell phone. He got up and looked frantically around again. They were just there in the distance, about to turn a corner. Jess sprinted off the sidewalk and onto the road.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!"

Car horns were beeping at him from all sides; there were shouts of road rage, and shouts of awe from the sidewalk. He teared down the side of the road, not a care for his own safety.

"Guy! Are you crazy?!"

He turned into the street that the man had pulled her down, and in the distance he saw them. He ran after them again, and as he looked ahead, he saw from the other side, Paige intercepting them. He swore, that at that moment, his heart started to beat again, but he did not stop running. Paige had hold of Ellie's other arm up ahead. She was yelling something at the black haired man. Jess was mere meters away now. The man shook his head at her, held up his arms, and began to walk away. But Jess had reached him, and grabbing him by the collar, slammed him against the wall of the building.

"Whoa, what the fuck are you-"

Jess' fist collided with the man's face; hard. He turned back to Jess, laughing, his nose bleeding heavily. "That's a pretty kid you got there."

Jess slammed him against the wall in fury again, his eyes fierce, and the other man's laughter ceased. With one final shove, Jess released him, and he fled. Jess turned back to Ellie, who was now in tears.

"What were you thinking?!" He yelled at her, and she began to sob more. He picked her up roughly.

Paige was looking at him apologetically, her eyes watering, "Jess, I'm-"

"Stay the hell away from my daughter," He spat in fury. And with that he turned and began towards his apartment as his mind began to ponder all the different scenarios. If he and Paige had been just moments later... that creep...

Jess was sure of one thing and one thing only. They were moving to a place she would be safe...

... They were moving to Stars Hollow.

* * *

_Please review to tell me how much you like or hate this chapter/story. Constructive critisism is welcome, it helps me to improve my writing and storylines. And I'm not gonna lie, I definitely love the happy reviews, because they make me feel inspired, which means I start writing the next chapter straight away, and you guys get to read it sooner. So please review!_


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: Wow, I'm seriously blown away by the amount of reviews I got, so here's another chapter for you all, hope you will enjoy it as much as the last._

_P.S- there's just no fooling some of you reviewers ;)_

_Disclaimer: Nope... don't own._

* * *

Chapter Three

* * *

"And if someone you don't know wants to take you home with them?"

"I will say 'No!' and run to find Jessie!"

"Good," Jess breathed in relief as he picked Ellie up into his arms, a bag slung over his shoulder, and made his way into his uncle's diner. All heads turned as the bell jingled his arrival, and the diner was suddenly in silence. Ellie clung onto Jess' jacket nervously, as she felt all eyes on her. And then, hushed whispers of "hoodlum" and "kid" broke out across the room.

"Jess? What are you...?" Luke had noticed the unusual silence of the diner, and had stepped out from the storage room to see what the cause of it was.

"Uncle Luke," Jess nodded in acknowledgement as his eyes began to scan the familiarity of the room. Every single person in the diner was now listening intently to every word, mouths agape.

"Wow... you really did..."

"Her name is Ellie," Jess answered simply, ignoring how flabbergasted his uncle was, and placing Ellie on her feet in front of him.

"Uh... Hi," Luke said to her awkwardly. She stared at him for a moment, her eyes wide and fearful, and then darted behind Jess, hiding behind his leg.

Jess chuckled, "Don't worry, she warms up... eventually." He knelt down to her. "It's alright Ellie, this man is your Great Uncle Lucas," he said with a mischievous smirk.

"Hey!" Luke protested, "Don't tell her to call me that!"

Jess chuckled, "Relax, you got the good name."

Ellie tugged nervously on his jacket, "Jessie, the man is scary."

"Jessie?" Luke laughed, and Jess shot him a glare.

Miss Patty was now on her cell phone, carefully hidden from the eyes of Luke, and Kirk was busy snapping pictures. Jess shook his head, annoyed at the nerve of these people. "We, uh, need a place to stay. Just for a week or so."

"Uh, sure," Luke answered, still a bit confused as to why his nephew was even there, "Upstairs. Everything's still in the same place."

"Thanks," Jess nodded, "I'll help you close up tonight."

And with that, he took Ellie by the hand, leading her up the stairs and away from all the excited eyes in the diner.

x x x x

"So is she-"

"Asleep, yeah," Jess answered, grabbing a rag from behind the counter and beginning to wipe it down. Luke glanced over the empty diner, trying to figure out how to approach the conversation.

"So... Ellie. You're really taking care of her now, aren't you?"

Jess didn't look up from what he was doing, "Well, that is the point now, isn't it?"

"... Right... Right," he nodded, clapping his hands together awkwardly, "So, uh... Wow."

"What?" Jess asked nonchalantly, packing the salt and pepper shakers under the counter and grabbing the rag again.

"Well, it's just... Wow... She looks a lot like..."

Jess stopped what he was doing for a moment, not looking up, which was a good enough answer for Luke.

"Jess..."

Jess moved away from his uncle, beginning to now wipe down the tables.

"Jess, this isn't healthy... you can't still be hung up on her?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Jess asked, abandoning the rag on the table and glaring at his uncle. Luke knew he had hit a nerve.

"If you adopted this kid-"

"Ellie," Jess stated irritably.

"If you adopted her at all because she reminds you of-"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Jess said in a forceful tone, clearly indicating his uncle should drop it.

Luke nodded, receiving the message, and turned away from his nephew to clean the coffee pots. "Her campaign trail's taking a break for a few months. She's gonna' be here in a few days... I just thought I might need to give you the heads up."

"You didn't," Jess muttered - an obvious lie - and turned to finish the tables.

x x x x

"JESSIE! JESSIE! WAKE UP!"

Jess groaned and rolled over, facing away from a very energetic Ellie.

"JESSIE! WAKE UP!"

Jess sat up suddenly, rubbing his eyes and forcing them open, "Wait, what's wrong, are you okay?" he said in slight panic.

"There are noises down stairs, it's time for morning!" She chirped happily.

Jess groaned, collapsing back onto the bed as the early morning tiredness washed over him.

"Jessie!" she whined, and when there was no reply she crossed her arms and pouted at him. "You sleep too much."

Jess reached out an arm and pulled her into bed with him, hugging her tightly; all of this without opening an eye. "Shhh... sleep," he mumbled.

She giggled happily and tried to wrestle out of his arm, but to no avail. Jess was clearly already falling back asleep.

"You need to get dressed for today, and Ellie needs help too."

Jess squinted his eyes open, knowing there was no chance he would be getting back to sleep that morning.

"Okay, c'mon," he sighed, rolling his eyes and kissing her on the forehead.

x x x x

"C'mon, it'll be fun to learn, then you can do it by yourself," Jess tried to persuade Ellie, guiding her down the steps to the diner.

"Nope," she refused, shaking her head. "I don't want to learn, because then Jessie... can tie my shoelaces forever!"

Jess laughed, shaking his head as he pushed aside the curtain. Predictably, the diner hushed into silence again, and Jess had to remind himself that there was a kid present, and that all the things running through his head would probably not be appropriate in front of her.

"Great Uncle Lucas!" Ellie cried, running over and hugging his leg.

"Huh, I guess the name stuck," Jess smirked.

Luke looked down at her hesitantly, deciding it would be safe to pat her gently on the back a couple of times.

Feeling eyes on him, Jess glanced across the counter. "Lorelai," he nodded in acknowledgement.

"Jess," she replied stiffly.

Jess and Lorelai's relationship had never exactly flourished. It's true that after the Rory dropping out of Yale debacle, and him helping her to set her mind straight again, Lorelai had begun to tolerate him at the very least, but judging by the cold look that was directed towards him now, Rory had told her about what had happened at the wedding... or at least, part of it (he seriously doubts he would still be breathing if she knew _all _of it).

"So, _Jess_..." She began in a forced polite tone, before she was interrupted by Ellie shyly wondering around to her.

Lorelai stared at her for a moment, before shaking her head and plastering a smile on her face.

"Hey, little girl," she said softly, hopping down off her stool to hug her, "You're Ellie aren't you?"

Ellie nodded silently.

"You know, I think you're gonna like it here," she said with a wink.

"You're a pretty lady," Ellie said, before dashing off to the door. "C'mon Jessie!"

"Wow," Lorelai said, looking halfway between shocked and upset, "I swear she looks exactly like-"

"Yeah, so I've heard," Jess muttered angrily, before making a quick escape towards Ellie, who was now jumping for the door handle impatiently.

"I heard she's his second," he heard Miss Patty whisper to Babbette as he and Ellie left the diner together.

x x x x

"So this is little Ellie!" Liz exclaimed, her arms held out wide. Ellie squeezed herself further into Jess' leg, as if hoping to sink into him completely. "Oh, and so shy, too!" she laughed, positively beaming, "TJ, look how shy she is!"

"I wouldn't exactly call her a people person," TJ replied bluntly.

"Oh, Jess! Won't you stay?" his mother pleaded, "Ellie could play with Doula, and I can make my famous apple pie."

"We must have that," Jess said sarcastically, having first handedly tried his mother's cooking on numerous occasions.

"Oh, but it'll be fun!" she pleaded again, "and Ellie, we can get out Jess' baby photos!"

"Oh, geez," Jess cringed.

"Jessie... was little like me once?"

"I could draw you on my etch-a-sketch," TJ added matter-of-factly to Ellie, as Liz was already pulling her inside excitedly.

"Here we go," Jess sighed, following them inside unwillingly.

x x x x

_"Best man, huh?"_

_"You don't have to wear a tie or anything..." Luke mumbled, trailing off._

_Jess smirked in spite of his uncle, knowing that deep down he wasn't as casual about the proposition of Jess being his best man as he was appearing to be. Jess wouldn't admit to it, but he was touched._

_"I could probably make an exception," he said, in the same casual demeanor._

_"_Really?_" Luke asked in awe, shocked that his nephew was even agreeing to this, let alone to wearing a tie in front of a crowd of people._

_"But just so you know, if you make me wear one of those lame flowers, I'll be officially entitled to kick your ass."_

_"No flowers, got it."_

_"So..." Jess began seriously, "The maid of honor..."_

_"...Yeah."_

_Jess nodded, despite the fact that his uncle wasn't able to see him, "Yeah, I figured."_

_"Hey, Jess?" Luke said after a moment of silence._

_"Yeah?"_

_"This, uh... You-"_

_"Your welcome."_

x x x x

"Jessie, where are we going?" Ellie asked, as Jess was pulling her along by the hand.

"C'mon," he said, "I wanna show you something."

Jess watched silently as Ellie stood in the centre of the bridge, staring our at the dark water. He walked up and sat down beside her, she following suit.

"I like this place," she said happily after a while.

Jess smirked, "Me too."

The bridge was the best and the worst at this time for him. The stars that were reflected in the clear, still water brang back two very different memories, both involving her, and both significant.

_"I made sure she was okay."_

_"So, you and Dean are definitely broken up?"_

_"I know you did."_

_"Yeah, me and Dean are... definitely broken up."_

It was funny, that sitting here like this - being back in Stars Hollow again - it was like barely any time had passed at all. It was here in Stars Hollow that he could most remember her smile, her laugh; what it felt like to kiss her. He figures that's why he never did like to come back much.

"Jessie?"

"Yeah?" he answered vacantly, still half lost in the past.

"Ellie wants to be with you forever."

Jess smiled, pulling her into his arms, and letting her drift slowly to sleep as he stared over the lake, wondering how on earth it was going to be possible avoiding her in such a small town. He figured he had a few days to dwell on it, at least.

x x x x

When Jess entered the diner carrying a fast asleep Ellie, he knew something was different. The silence that enveloped the diner this time was unlike the others, and he felt a lurch in his chest as his eyes were pulled to the auburn-brown hair at the counter. He wondered if it was too late to make a break for it, but she had already sensed the eerie silence. And she turned around, resembling a deer caught in headlights as her eyes fell upon him.

"Jess..."

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_AN: I know, I'm mean. But if you know what's good for you, you'll review ;) cuz then the next chapter will be up super fast.  
_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Okay, so I know I promised you all a speedy update, but my computer completely crashed and I had to use my brother's (when he wasn't using it) so it took a little longer to write than I would've liked. But anyway, it's here now, and I hope you all enjoy it. And remember to keep up with the fantastic reviews, they keep me writing._

_Disclaimer: Nope... don't own._

* * *

Chapter Four

* * *

_Jess sighed, his fingers fumbling around his tie, wondering what could have possibly been going through his mind when he had agreed to this damn thing. He was thankful, at least, that Luke and Lorelai had waved the whole tradition of the best man walking the maid of honor down the isle. Though, he knew it wasn't a coincidence that they had decided to disclude that part from the ceremony. He was also glad they had opted for a less traditional wedding in the town square, being close by to the diner; an easy escape. He vaguely wondered how long he was going last._

_"You almost ready?" Luke asked as he entered the bathroom, rubbing his hands together in anticipation._

_"Yeah, give me a sec," Jess muttered, almost throwing his tie down in frustration._

_"Here..." Luke said, taking over Jess' feeble attempt._

_"You know, I think the better question is, are you ready?" Jess said, replying to the earlier question._

_Luke grinned, "Today's the day, my friend. I've never been more ready."_

_"Yeah?"_

_"Yeah."_

_Luke rested his hand on Jess' shoulder for a moment, still smiling goofily, and in a surprising gesture, Jess pulled him into a quick, rough hug._

_"Hey, Jess?" Luke said afterwards, holding him at arms length again._

_"Yeah?"_

_"You look good in a tie."_

x x x x

Jess stared at the blinking curser, the only bit of black on the blank, white screen. He had so many pages to fill, yet no words to fill them with; and the time was quickly running out for him to do so. He had missed his last two deadlines, and Paige had sent him numerous emails, all asking for an update, any piece of writing she could begin editing. They were behind, and the nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach certainly wasn't helping him reverse the situation.

The emails were the only contact they had had since Jess had left New York, all of which were strictly work related. He couldn't help but feel the guilt settle itself somewhere amongst the nagging feeling at the thought of his last words to her. He genuinely hoped that she was doing okay. After all, if it weren't for Paige, Ellie might not have been there with him now.

Instinctively, Jess' eyes glanced over to the small girl sleeping soundly on Luke's old bed. She looked peaceful (not like she had any stressful deadlines to meet or anything). Jess couldn't help the small smile that surfaced as she stirred lightly, and, deciding to call it quits for now, he closed his laptop and made his way over to Ellie, pulling the blankets up around her shoulders. He noticed that she had grown a little in the little under a month that he had been taking care of her. Her hair was a bit longer (did he need to take her for a haircut or something? Right, like he'd trust any of the psychotics in this town near her with scissors, or anything sharp for that matter), but most of her features were just as small and fragile as ever.

It gave him the most amazing feeling to know that somebody depended on him, that at least someone in this world didn't doubt him for a second. All his life, people had looked upon him with doubt, they had looked upon him with pity or with judging eyes, or all of the above. When Ellie looked at him, all he could see in those bright blue eyes was nothing short of admiration and the absolute belief that he could take care of her, protect her from anything. It was a nice feeling, to be needed.

He knew that Luke didn't really understand. He had never adopted her because she had reminded him of _her_. Sure, that was what had drawn him to her in the first place, but from the moment he had first knelt down beside her, sure it sounded like it belonged in a goddam book or something, but he felt connected to her in some way, like he had meant to find her, and that he was meant to be the one to take care of her and make her smile and laugh, and make sure nothing in this world could come close to hurting her.

He wanted to do this right. He hoped he wouldn't disappoint her, like many of the other people he had managed to disappoint in his lifetime thus far. He hoped he wouldn't disappoint her like he had disappointed Luke or his mother or Paige or... Rory. Hell, Rory couldn't even look at him anymore. The previous night would prove that fact. She had taken one look at him (_Jess..._) one look at Ellie sleeping against his shoulder, turned a pale shade of white (_I, uh... have to go_), and then darted out the door before he had a chance to speak. Of course he didn't exactly expect her to be thrilled with the idea of him adopting a kid. But she had been supportive when he had come back to show her his first book, and supportive when she came to his open house in Philadelphia (though it had ended badly). Maybe he had finally pushed it too far. His stomach plummeted at the realisation that maybe she didn't believe in him at all. She didn't believe he could do it; take care of Ellie. Or maybe, at the wedding (Jess cringed), they had finally pushed this thing they had too far beyond repair. She didn't believe in him and she didn't want him in her life anymore.

If there was one thing Jess had left in this all, one thing he was going to keep, it was his dignity. He wasn't going to be that guy, the one who moped around and pined. He cringed at guys like that, like... _Dean_ (true to his word, Jess did cringe at the thought of floppy-haired bag-boy). Rory being here wasn't going to affect him at all, and he was going to show her that.

x x x x

_It was the very moment Jess had been dreading. She stood at the back in a blue silk dress, her hair pinned half back and in light curls, flowers in hand and ready to make her way up the isle. There was no way he could've prepared himself for this; even his dreams hadn't given her justice. She glanced up and smiled to Sookie, who was already standing across from Jess, and began forwards to join them, her eyes on the ground in front of her. And when it could no longer be avoided, her eyes looked up and found his, and his breath was taken away... completely and utterly. He tried to swallow, but his throat was surprisingly dry. Everything else disappeared, it was just him and Rory; Rory in white, making her way up to him just like she was now. Jess blinked and swiftly shook his head, needing to rid himself of the self-destructive image he had just painted; it definitely wouldn't do him any good in the long run to be dwelling on such things. She gave him a small, hesitant smile, bringing him back to reality (almost), before stopping beside Sookie. Her eyes, like everyone else's, were now turned to the back again in anticipation. Jess' eyes were on her, a feeling of shock and fear overtaking him completely. He had always loved her, sure, but the thought of him and her... like that... it had never even crossed his mind._

_Until then._

x x x x

Jess pushed aside the curtain to the diner. He had insisted that he at least help Luke out in the diner whilst he was living there, since Luke had refused to take a cheque. Just until he and Ellie had found their own place of course.

It had taken him by surprise, though, to see Rory sitting at the counter. He might not know her as well as he would've hoped anymore, but he did know that given the chance, Rory would normally prefer to avoid him in such a situation (like the situation when he returned to reclaim his car from a certain thieving uncle), that she would happily give up Luke's coffee for Western's, as long as it meant avoiding any awkward confrontations. Yet, here she was. He didn't fail to notice the fact that she was alone again (had things really gotten that bad with Lorelai?), and he approached her, grabbing the coffee pot as he did so.

"Coffee?"

Rory jumped at the sound of his voice, and glanced to the curtain, and then around him quickly, before averting her eyes back to his.

"U-uh... yeah," she smiled nervously.

"To go?" he asked, already grabbing a foam cup before she had a chance to answer.

"Um... I guess." She glanced at the curtain again. Jess raised his brow at her new found paranoia, and handed her the coffee.

"Oh, thanks," she mumbled, taking the coffee, and then pausing to ask, "So... you're doing okay? Everything's..." she glanced at the curtain, "... Okay?"

"Everything's fine," Jess shrugged.

"Oh, that's... that's good." She glanced down at her feet, unmoving.

"Something wrong?" Jess asked vaguely, returning the coffee pot to its home and then turning back to face her again.

Rory frowned at his coldness, "Oh... no nothing's wrong... um, I just-"

"I should probably get back to work," he stated simply.

Rory glanced around at the almost empty diner, then turned back to him feeling hurt and confused by his indifference. "Right..." she mumbled, "wouldn't want Luke to think you're slacking off."

"Right," he nodded.

"I guess I'll," she motioned out the door, and Jess nodded. "Um, thanks for the coffee, Jess."

He nodded once more and she was gone, the bell ringing sadly in her absence.

x x x x

_"We're closed," Jess called nonchalantly, as he heard the bell above the door._

_"Hey..."_

_Jess felt his chest thump at the clearly recognisable voice, and looked up from his book, his eyes meeting once more with those of crystal blue._

_"Hey," he said, fighting to keep his emotions hidden, "You look nice."_

_"Thank-you," she said, glancing down nervously. He was suddenly hit with a sense of deja vu._

_"So..." She glanced around the room awkwardly for a moment, her eyes stopping to study everything in it but him._

_"Coffee?" he asked nervously._

_She smiled at him warmly. "Yeah," she answered, taking a seat in front of him at the counter._

_The silence that engulfed them was almost unbearable, and to be honest, Jess wasn't exactly sure what to do with his hands now that he had finished pouring the coffee._

_"They look happy, don't they," Rory commented after taking a few gulps of the warm liquid, which had done nothing to settle her nerves._

_Jess nodded silently, glancing out of the window at the celebrations in the town square, the sun now beginning to set._

_"It's funny if you think about it, I mean, they could've been this happy years ago, if they had only..." Rory trailed off, fiddling with the mug in front of her._

_Jess nodded, and they locked eyes for a long moment. Then Rory broke the contact, glancing down at her hands. "Logan proposed."_

_Jess felt like he had been kicked in the stomach. "...Why are you telling me this?" It had come out a little more hostile than he had originally intended._

_Rory looked shocked, as if she hadn't even expected to say it herself. "I don't know... I just-"_

_"Well congratulations. I hope you and Richie are happy together," Jess said bitterly, snatching a rag out from under the counter and turning his back on her to wipe down the coffee pots._

_"I said no," she mumbled quietly to her hands._

_Jess froze, feeling something he couldn't quite put his finger on; a glimmer of hope?_

_"So, I guess I'll see you out there later?" Rory said pushing her coffee forward as she got to her feet. Jess didn't miss the implied question, and gave her a small nod._

_"Oh, it's on me," he insisted, holding out his hand as she made for her purse._

_She smiled at him once more, "Thanks Jess."_

x x x x

Jess awoke to something crashing into his side. He rolled over, trying to escape, but whatever it was, was clinging onto him tightly. Baffled for a moment, he reached his hand through the covers, and found that it was Ellie. He half sat up, rubbing at his eyes with his other hand.

"Ellie?" His voice was groggy from sleep.

She sniffled and clung to him tighter, nudging her head into the crook of his arm.

"Ellie?" Jess said, more alert now, sitting up completely and pulling her into his arms. "What's the matter?"

"They... took Jessie... away," Ellie barely managed to get out between sobs.

Jess was confused for a moment, but then it hit him, "Oh... a nightmare."

He reached over to turn on the lamp. "I'm still here, see?" he said nervously, not really sure what to do in this situation. A sense of hopelessness washed over him as she began to tremble against him. He tried hard to think about his own experiences, only to realise that when something like this had happened to him Liz was probably stoned or passed out drunk.

"I'm scared."

"Hey," Jess hushed, pulling her back to look her in the eyes, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise?"

Jess smirked, "I'll prove it."

He pulled her back to him again, and after a long while the sniffles ceased and she fell into a peaceful sleep.

He may have hated Stars Hollow, and the majority of its occupants. But one thing was for certain: whilst Ellie was there, Jess definitely wasn't going anywhere.

x x x x

* * *

_A/N: Reviews are inspiration... :)_

_Oh and check out my profile for pics of Rory, Jess, and yes... Ellie!_


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